Panthers To Sign Dontari Poe
The Panthers are signing defensive tackle Dontari Poe, according to Kimberley A. Martin of the Washington Post (on Twitter). It’s a three-year deal worth between $9MM and $10MM per year, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Martin specifies (via Twitter) this is a three-year, $27MM agreement.
Poe takes over for defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, who departed in free agency to sign with the Bills. He’ll be joined by Kawann Short in the middle with Julius Peppers and Mario Addison on the bookends, so Carolina will continue to have a fearsome front four.
After agreeing to a one-year deal with the Falcons several days into the 2017 free agency period, Poe drew more definitive interest this year. An endurance machine for a defensive tackle, Poe returned to his durable ways by playing in all 18 Falcons games last season. During the regular season, the three-down tackle logged 880 snaps — third-most among pure DTs last year. The two-time Pro Bowler, who ranked as PFR’s No. 4 free agent still on the board, will be set for his age-28 season.
Poe spent last season with the Falcons, though he was not expected to return due to his expected market. Indeed, he has secured a bump in average annual value, but this time over a longer span.
The former Chiefs first-round pick had to settle for a one-year deal last year because he was coming off one of his worst seasons. Poe underwent back surgery in in 2015 and in his final two Chiefs years wasn’t quite as dominant as his 2013-14 versions, when he combined for 10.5 sacks and looked on track to a top-market extension. The Chiefs, however, did not keep him. But Poe rebuilt his value in Atlanta, grading out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 35 interior defender last season.
He’ll join Short and form what figures to be a difficult interior tandem for offensive lines to handle come September.
[RELATED: Panthers Depth Chart]
Lions, Seahawks Interested In Quinton Dial
Packers free agent defensive tackle Quinton Dial will visit the Lions and Seahawks, according to Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). Dial, as Silverstein notes, was a positive locker room presence in Green Bay after coming over from the 49ers. 
It’s not clear if the Packers are still in the mix to keep Dial, but they think highly of him. When signing him last year, the Packers paid him one dollar more than the veteran’s minimum ($775,001), which left open the possibility of extending him in-season. They didn’t do that, however, allowing him to explore the open market.
Dial, 28 in July, appeared in 13 games with two starts for the Packers last season. He totaled 19 tackles.
Browns Release Eight Players
Cornerback Jason McCourty and wide receiver Sammie Coates aren’t the only players on their way out of Cleveland. The Browns have also cut cornerback B.W. Webb, defensive lineman Ricky Ali’ifua, offensive lineman Zach Banner, defensive lineman Collin Bevins, linebacker Jeremy Cash, offensive lineman Joseph Cheek, defensive back Trevon Hartfield, and running back Josh Rounds.
Banner figures to draw interest from teams given the lack of quality tackles available. A USC product, Banner was selected by the Colts in the fourth round of last year’s draft. When he missed Indianapolis’ final cut, the Giants tried to claim him off waivers before the Browns scooped him up. He saw time in eight games for the Browns last season.
Rounds, 25 in October, re-upped with the Browns on a futures deal in January. Same goes for Hartfield and Webb, but they’re now in search of new teams.
Browns Release CB Jason McCourty
[UPDATE – The Browns have traded McCourty to the Patriots, rather than releasing him]
The Browns are releasing cornerback Jason McCourty, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. McCourty has personally confirmed the news via social media. 
McCourty joined the Browns last offseason on a two-year, $6MM deal with $2MM guaranteed. However, the new regime is going in a different direction following the free agent pickups of cornerbacks T.J. Carrie and Terrance Mitchell.
One has to imagine that the Patriots will have interest in McCourty. Last offseason, they had interest before he hooked on with Cleveland. Of course, his twin brother twin brother, All Pro safety Devin McCourty, would be an advocate in that regard.
“I think there was definitely mutual interest, but to be honest, the Patriots are kind of set at cornerback,” McCourty said last year. “They have a lot of talent in that room. There really wasn’t room for me. Me and Dev talked about that and that’s just the way of the league. I’m excited about the opportunity I have in Cleveland to work with those guys.”
McCourty missed all of 2015 and had a so-so year in 2016, leading the Titans to cut him. However, he bounced back strong in Cleveland with three interceptions and a top-30 rank on Pro Football Focus’ list of NFL cornerbacks. In that sense, the Browns’ decision to release McCourty is a little perplexing since he was set to carry a reasonable cap hit of less than $3.6MM. The move will bring about nearly $3MM in cap savings for the Browns.
McCourty, 31 in August, could very well be in for a pay raise on his next deal, wherever that may be.
49ers Trade C Daniel Kilgore To Dolphins
The 49ers announced they’ve traded center Daniel Kilgore to the Dolphins. Kilgore will take the place of Mike Pouncey, who will be released. 
In the swap, the Niners will send a seventh-round pick to Miami and receive a seventh-round pick in return, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. In the deal, Miami will assume both Kilgore’s contract and bonus.
Kilgore inked an extension with San Francisco just one month ago, but the signing of Weston Richburg has displaced him. There was some thought to Richburg playing guard for the Niners, but we now know that he’ll be lining up at his native position.
Kilgore will cost the Dolphins $5.3MM in 2018, including a $2.3MM roster bonus that comes due on Thursday. After that, he has cap hits of $2.7MM in 2019 and $3.6MM in 2020. Those numbers are significantly cheaper than the contract of Pouncey, who would have carried cap hits of $9MM, $8.2MM, and $9MM over the next three seasons.
Last summer, Kilgore projected as a reserve for San Francisco. However, after the Niners waived Jeremy Zuttah, he beat out free agent pickup Tim Barnes for the starting job. The advanced metrics weren’t keen on him, but the Niners felt he had considerable value. That is, until Richburg became available this week.
[RELATED: Dolphins Depth Chart]
Giants, Redskins Pursuing John Sullivan
The Giants have asked to meet with Rams veteran center John Sullivan, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Rapoport hears that he’s also drawing interest from the Redskins. 
The Giants are in search of a new center after losing to the 49ers. Richburg netted a pact worth $47.5MM, with $28.5MM in guaranteed money, but Sullivan would be considerably cheaper.
Sullivan, 32, played 15 games for the Rams last year and graded out as the tenth-best center in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. After sliding down the Redskins’ depth chart in 2016, he re-established himself as a starting-caliber player.
The Giants missed out on the best possible upgrade to their interior line when guard Andrew Norwell signed a mammoth deal with the Jaguars. Still, they landed a great consolation prize in tackle Nate Solder, even if the deal is something of an overpay, and former Jaguar Patrick Omameh projects to hold down one of the team’s starting guard spots.
The Redskins also lost their a center to free agency when Spencer Long agreed to join the Jets. As it stands, Chase Roullier projects as their No. 1 center, as shown on Roster Resource.
On Wednesday, Rams general manager Les Snead said that he has begun talks with Sullivan on a new deal.
Raiders To Meet With LB Tahir Whitehead
Lions free agent linebacker Tahir Whitehead is visiting the Raiders, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Whitehead was ranked as one of PFR’s ten best available players at the position heading into free agency. 
Whitehead has been with the Lions since 2012 and has been a fixture in their front seven since 2014. This past season, he started in all 16 games and totaled 110 tackles plus one sack.
The 27-year-old (28 in April) is coming off of a two-year deal worth more than $8MM. This time around, he’s probably due for a pay bump considering the contracts that have been given to other non-rush linebackers this offseason. The Jets scoffed at Demario Davis‘ request for $8MM per year, but he got that with his three-year, $24MM deal with the Saints. Meanwhile, Nigel Bradham re-upped with the Eagles on a five-year, $40MM deal and Anthony Hitchens scored a five-year, $45MM deal with the Chiefs.
Seahawks To Meet With D.J. Fluker
Offensive lineman D.J. Fluker is visiting with the Seahawks, a source tells Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Raanan adds that there could be more stops coming up for the former first-round pick. 
Fluker spent last season with the Giants after signing a one-year deal. The former Chargers first-round pick did not show a dramatic improvement from the work that induced the Bolts to backtrack on his fifth-year option and cut the Alabama product last year. Pro Football Focus tabbed the 27-year-old blocker as its No. 56 full-time guard.
The Giants, though, experienced rampant injury trouble on their front and Fluker joined Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg in finishing the season on IR. Previously, he had played in at least 15 games in three of his four San Diego seasons.
Seattle again boasted one of the league’s worst lines last season, continuing a troublesome trend. Fluker would likely again profile as a low-cost addition, although recent years have brought a seller’s market at these positions.
Lions To Meet With TE Brent Celek
Tight end Brent Celek is meeting with the Lions on Thursday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). Celek is a free agent following his release from the Eagles. 
Celek could fill a need for the Lions following the release of Eric Ebron and the departure of Darren Fells in free agency. Ebron was mainly utilized as a receiver for Detroit and Fells was a blocking specialist. Celek, 33, does a bit of both.
Celek was overshadowed a bit in Philadelphia last year with Zach Ertz and Trey Burton ahead of him on the depth chart, but he appeared in all 16 games for the Eagles. He has been remarkably durable over the course of his career, missing just one game since entering the league in 2007.
Once upon a time, Celek was a major part of the Eagles’ passing attack. He nearly hit 1,000 receiving yards in 2009 and he averaged 59 catches for 744 yards and 4+ TDs between 2009 and 2012. In recent years, he’s been used more for blocking purposes. He has just 27 grabs for 285 yards over the last two seasons.
Redskins Sign P Sam Irwin-Hill
The Redskins signed punter Sam Irwin-Hill, according to a tweet from agent David Canter. Irwin-Hill is expected to compete with incumbent Tress Way for the starting job.
Way is under contract through the 2020 season, so the odds of Irwin-Hill unseating him are not quite clear. As John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes, Way ranked 13th in yards per punt (45.71) and 28th in net yards (39.02) in 2017 and has done a solid job overall over the last four seasons.
Naturally, as a punter, Way’s contract doesn’t have a ton of guarantees. If they feel strongly about Irwin-Hill, who has never punter in an NFL game, they can cut way with $750K in dead money on the cap.
Irwin-Hill spent last offseason with the Cowboys but ultimately lost out on that punting competition. He is an Arkansas product, which may have helped him get in with Jerry Jones.